Will Turkey help release Israeli hostages? Erdoğan says Turkey ready to do whatever necessary to 'bring about a permanent ceasefire' in Gaza

Israel reportedly asks for help in negotiating hostage release deal

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Wednesday morning announced that Turkey is ready to help facilitate a ceasefire agreement in Gaza.

Erdoğan’s statement comes amid reports that Israel asked the Turkish government to mediate between Israel and Hamas leaders in Turkey in order to negotiate a hostage release deal in Gaza.

"Turkey is ready to do everything in its power to stop the massacre in Gaza and bring about a permanent ceasefire," Erdoğan said.

Ynet News reported on Wednesday that despite repeated denials regarding Turkey's involvement –and the severely strained relations between the two countries since the war began on Oct. 7 last year – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government recently asked Turkey to mediate negotiations with Hamas over a hostage release agreement.

Erdoğan has been a frequent critic of Israel, even supporting the International Criminal Court's (ICC) issuance of arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

Under Erdoğan, Turkey has shifted from having stable relations with Israel to regularly clashing with Israeli leaders and showing support for Israel’s enemies.

The political leadership of Hamas recently relocated to Turkey after reportedly being asked to leave Qatar, where they had been hosted for approximately 12 years.

Despite increasing hostility between their two governments, Ynet reported that Netanyahu recently sent Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar to Turkey for help with negotiations due to the presence of the Hamas leaders.

Around the same time that Bar was visiting Turkey, an Israeli official said that Erdoğan's government could not be a negotiator in a hostage deal, but could assist in pressuring Hamas, as some of the organization's leaders had moved to Istanbul.

On Wednesday afternoon, U.S. President Joe Biden also announced the participation of Turkey in the negotiation efforts aimed at achieving a ceasefire in Gaza.

“Over the coming days, the United States will make another push with Turkey, Egypt, Qatar, Israel, and others to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza with the hostages released and an end to the war without Hamas in power,” Biden said in a statement posted on 𝕏.

Over the coming days, the United States will make another push with Turkey, Egypt, Qatar, Israel, and others to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza with the hostages released and an end to the war without Hamas in power.
— President Biden (@POTUS) November 27, 2024

The inclusion of Turkey in Biden’s remarks was unexpected for some analysts, due to the recent warning given by the Biden administration to Turkey over hosting Hamas leaders.

While announcing the Lebanon ceasefire deal on Tuesday evening, Biden said the U.S. was hoping to return to negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza as well.

“Just as the Lebanese people deserve a future of security and prosperity, so do the people of Gaza," Biden said in the White House Rose Garden. "They, too, deserve an end to the fighting and displacement.”

"Far too many civilians in Gaza have suffered far too much," Biden stated. "And Hamas has refused, for months and months, to negotiate a good-faith ceasefire and a hostage deal."

"And so, now Hamas has a choice to make," the U.S. president added. "Their only way out is to release the hostages, including American citizens which they hold, and in the process, bring an end to the fighting which would make possible a surge of humanitarian relief."

Following the announcement of the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, a Hamas official told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the terror group is ready to resume negotiations with Israel.

“We have informed mediators in Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey that Hamas is ready for a ceasefire agreement and a serious deal to exchange prisoners,” the official told AFP.